On Thursday, I had to switch hotels and take care of some stuff for Inside Lacrosse at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, including cruise the vendor lot and check out all the different companies and products on display.

I had a chance to catch up with Jerome Thompson Jr., aka Hiana, who is one of the best stories on the Iroquois Nationals roster.

A star at Onondaga Community College in 2007 and 2009, Hiana had hoped to make it to Syracuse University, where his brother Jeremy was a starting midfielder in his junior and senior seasons after playing at OCC.

It didn’t happen, but Hiana continues to play lacrosse and coaches up on Akwesasne. His path was the focus of Lukas Korver’s documentary titled The Medicine Game, but it’s a story that continues to develop. Hiana’s presence on the Iroquois Nationals, along with his three brothers — Jeremy and this year’s co-Tewaaraton winners Miles and Lyle — is a unique opportunity beyond compare in sports.

“It’s just pretty exciting to be able to go out there and play in front of the world, in front of everybody — our people, with all three of my brothers,” Hiana said. “It just feels good.”

Playing for his father, Jerome Sr., Hiana said it adds another element to make the experience that much more special.

“My dad’s been our coach since we were two years old. For him to coach us in the world games, it feels good because he’s brought us up and he’s brought us into the lacrosse players that we are. For us to be out here and for him to still be coaching, and with us playing in the world games, it’s awesome.”

A player I’ve felt was under the radar in recent years but performing at a high level in Senior B ball up on Akwesasne, Hiana is hoping he can have a strong showing for the Iroquois and put himself back in the minds of general managers and coaches in the NLL and MLL.

“It feels good to be able to get out there and play again. I know I can play at that level of lacrosse and either play midfield or attack. It’s a good feeling. I’ve been trying to get into the NLL and the MLL. But it’s been a little bit hard for me because I didn’t get those looks because I didn’t get to go on to the college I wanted. … So really no one knows about me.”

Hiana said he hopes he can be a bit of a sleeper pick on the Iroquois Nationals.

“I’m going to take this tournament and try to put myself out there and try to put a good impression out there to show what I’ve got to offer.”

Thursday night, the Nationals — along with other teams competing in the tournament — made their way to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for the opening ceremonies of the championships.

Representing the Haudenosaunee, Kedoh Hill, who hails from Six Nations, led a smoke dance song from the center of the field. According to Jerome Thompson Sr., the song Hill led was actually a version sung by Native Americans from out west. Hill has worked to stay connected to the Iroquois traditions and religions practices as much as possible, similar to Jeremy Thompson.

While I covered the USA-Canada matchup, the Iroquois watched the game, which will serve as an important reference as they prepare for the other two top teams in the Blue Division.

But first things first, the Iroquois have their first matchup of the tournament Friday night, an 9:30 p.m. contest against England (wild thunderstorms pushed the game back). Make no mistake, the Iroquois remember 2010 — the year that saw England disallow them to travel to Manchester for the last FIL World Lacrosse Championships.

The Iroquois will be donning a one-off helmet with a special design. A matte black Cascade R, the helmet features chrome purple and matte black decals. On the back panel, you’ll see the seal that is on the back of the Iroquois’ traditional passport, the passport that they were told wouldn’t get them into England in 2010.

The circular design features a ring of figures that represents the Iroquois 50 sachems. Inside that you’ll see the symbols representing each of the Iroquois clans, and then in the center is the Eastern White Pine, known to the Iroquois as the Tree of Peace. The Eastern White Pine is emblematic of the the relationship between the Iroquois and those who came to North America from Europe. It’s also considered a symbol of the Great Law of Peace, or Gayanashagowa.

Essentially, the team is hoping to wear the helmets to remind the lacrosse world of what happened in 2010.

Friday morning, the Iroquois walked from their hotel to a nearby field for a stretch and 30-minute catch to loosen up. Before the team got into it, they engaged in a ceremonial prayer and ceremony led by Tracy Shenendoah, a spiritual advisor from the Onondaga Nation. The group formed a circle, including non-Iroquois working with the team, including head coach Steve Beville and assistant Marc Van Arsdale, and Shenendoah led a lengthy prayer.

The ceremony involved sharing a medicinal drink around the circle. Players and staff members drank from a large jug and rubbed the liquid on their hands, faces, hair and even sprinkled some down their shirts and on their legs. As Shenendoah told the players, if they are shy or struggle with bringing anything up to the team, whether personal or team-related, if there is something on their minds or something bothering them physically, the ceremony is meant to help them address and overcome those issues with the help of their teammates and through their faith.

As Jerome Thompson Sr. explained to me, it’s an important ceremony that is done each morning, and one the team prefers to keep private. So it goes without saying that to witness these Iroquois players engaged in something this sacred was a pretty special moment.

While the team practiced, members of the team and staff were pulled aside to be interviewed and photographed by documentary film makers who are producing a segment for AT&T U-verse. I got to know some of the guys working on the project, and I suspect they’ll produce an outstanding final product that sports fans in general will enjoy.

Late Friday afternoon, I spent time with Jemison, helping him apply the decals I mentioned above in preparation of the game against England. We spoke about the Iroquois Nationals organization and what they are working toward, the type of people they’re trying to involve and the overall mission of the Nationals.

An interesting takeaway, the Iroquois did not have a national flag until the Iroquois Nationals created one for the world games more than 20 years ago. The team was the only one that had no flag to hoist, and so the organization simply put the Hiawatha Belt on a purple flag, and the Iroquois flag was born — through lacrosse.

Jemison, who helps run the American Indian Program at Cornell University, said the ultimate goal of this go at the FIL World Championships is pretty straightforward.